A leading UK pest management group has issued a stark warning about the growing presence of the pest Epiphyas Postvittana, or the light brown apple moth, in UK orchards and vineyards.

Exosect said that the pest, which attacks over 250 different species of fruit and vegetables as well as numerous plants and trees, is a particular threat to apples, grapes, cherries and plums in the UK.

Larvae of the moth damages fruit when eggs are laid on the foliage of plants, with fruit becoming infected with Botrytis and sour rot during feeding.

'Recent results from New Zealand have shown a 5 per cent-20 per cent crop yield loss in vines as a result of the presence of the light brown apple moth, so it is definitely something that we need to manage,' said Alison Tod, orchard and vines product manager at Exosect. 'Further trials are being undertaken in Australia and New Zealand in apples and vines where the pest is prolific.'

The group said that Exosect's environmentally friendly 'sexual confusion' pest control solutions could be the answer to stemming the pest's spread through the UK, with orchards using the products experiencing a 60 per cent reduction in crop damage and a 50 per cent drop in the number of chemical sprays.

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